Irvine Lake crappie bite warming up; 13-6 rainbow tops catches
by Steve Carson
4-13-2011
714-649-9111
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Good news for crappie anglers came from Irvine Lake Pro Team leader Marlon Meade, "Pro Team member Brian Ray and his fishing partner got easy double limits of nice crappie trolling Frenzy crankbaits near Trout Island. Other trout trollers also caught a lot of incidental crappie. Right now they can be targeted with Atomic Tubes at 18 to 24 feet, but the rapidly warming water temperatures will put them into spawn mode very quickly."
The big crowd of anglers on hand for the Western Outdoor News Southern California Trout Opener event on Saturday found the lake had "turned over", reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Due to some limited water clarity, the shore bite was better than the troll bite" observed Getty.
Bait-dunking trout anglers did best with glow-color Mice Tails, and natural or chartreuse color Pinched Crawlers. Best catches came from Woody's Cove, Trout Island and Santiago Flats. Trollers stuck with the reliable firetiger-color CD5 Rapala Countdown. Most trout on the stringers were in the 2 to 5-pound class, with a few larger units keeping things interesting.
Bass anglers found overall good numbers of largemouth in the 2 to 6-pound range, with a few larger fish seen. Some larger models are up on the spawning beds, and a spawned-out 8-6 would have easily topped 10 pounds a few days ago. crankbaits are scoring fish. Top locations are the Red Clay Cliffs, Rocky Point, and the west shore.
Some 2 to 4 pound channel catfish are hanging around the mouth of creeks with running water.
A few sunshine bass [hybrid stripers] are starting to cruise around near Trout Island and the flats, with shad-pattern reaction baits being the lure of choice.
Families with children age 12 and under found fair action in the Kids Lagoon on 1 to 3 pound rainbows using Mice Tails. Slabside chasers will be happy to know that the largest Crappie Tournament in Southern California history will take place at Irvine Lake on May 21.
The big crowd of anglers on hand for the Western Outdoor News Southern California Trout Opener event on Saturday found the lake had "turned over", reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Due to some limited water clarity, the shore bite was better than the troll bite" observed Getty.
Bait-dunking trout anglers did best with glow-color Mice Tails, and natural or chartreuse color Pinched Crawlers. Best catches came from Woody's Cove, Trout Island and Santiago Flats. Trollers stuck with the reliable firetiger-color CD5 Rapala Countdown. Most trout on the stringers were in the 2 to 5-pound class, with a few larger units keeping things interesting.
Bass anglers found overall good numbers of largemouth in the 2 to 6-pound range, with a few larger fish seen. Some larger models are up on the spawning beds, and a spawned-out 8-6 would have easily topped 10 pounds a few days ago. crankbaits are scoring fish. Top locations are the Red Clay Cliffs, Rocky Point, and the west shore.
Some 2 to 4 pound channel catfish are hanging around the mouth of creeks with running water.
A few sunshine bass [hybrid stripers] are starting to cruise around near Trout Island and the flats, with shad-pattern reaction baits being the lure of choice.
Families with children age 12 and under found fair action in the Kids Lagoon on 1 to 3 pound rainbows using Mice Tails. Slabside chasers will be happy to know that the largest Crappie Tournament in Southern California history will take place at Irvine Lake on May 21.
More Reports
4-5-2011Midweek trout anglers are advised to head straight over to Santiago Flats, reported Nick Sepulveda at the Pro Shop. "The flats has definitely been the hotspot for the last couple of days", observed Sepulveda. "A lot of trout limits are coming from back there, but not too many of the bigger fish. Nightcrawlers are still the hottest bait." Another very interesting phenomenon available at Irvine Lake right now is the presence of a bald eagle. Pro-Team leader Marlon Meade gushed,...... Read More
3-30-2011
Last week's wet and stormy weather is in the rear view mirror for Irvine Lake anglers, reported General Manager Melanie Montoure. "All of the lakeside roads are now completely dried out and back open", observed Montoure. "The forecast for the weekend is for excellent weather, and the fish are biting very well again. Montoure added, "We lowered the lake level about 6 inches temporarily, but it should be back to completely full in just a few days. Underwater visibility is...... Read More
Last week's wet and stormy weather is in the rear view mirror for Irvine Lake anglers, reported General Manager Melanie Montoure. "All of the lakeside roads are now completely dried out and back open", observed Montoure. "The forecast for the weekend is for excellent weather, and the fish are biting very well again. Montoure added, "We lowered the lake level about 6 inches temporarily, but it should be back to completely full in just a few days. Underwater visibility is...... Read More